Are you going to go down and stay down or will you get up and get going? (161-4)
Even God’s greatest leaders can become ambivalent and angry under stress. Read Jeremiah 20:1-18.
Jeremiah was called to be a prophet at a time when the people had hardened their hearts and pre-determined not to listen to any messages from God. He often came under fire from leaders who felt he needed some form of harsh discipline for prophesying against Judah and Jerusalem. After all, weren’t these God’s chosen people and wasn’t the temple of God located in Jerusalem. What could possibly happen to a people who had known God’s blessing. In chapter 20 Jeremiah first complained, then praised God for giving him victory over his enemies, then cursed the day he was born.
Every leader experiences good and bad days. Even God’s greatest leaders became discouraged and even angry at times. The key question on a leader’s bad day is: “Are you going to go down and stay down or will you get up and get going?” Just as Jeremiah expressed his core truth in verses 11-13, every leader can put into practice a few truths that can get them through that difficult spot when their emotions are about to slam them into the rocks:
- They can consciously think positively and rise above self pity.
- They can scan their past experiences to see what lessons they have learned that they are not implementing.
- They can seek different approached and alternative plans to accomplish the same goal.
- They may need to be realistic and develop different goals.
- They can broaden their base of support for their emotional life.
- They must consciously separate their self-worth from current performance.
- They can seek something that will make them laugh. Employing a sense of humor in hard times can be a powerful stress breaker.
- They can find truths from God’s words that will reassure them and sustain them.
Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest
